The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of apple tree having fruit which matures early in the season, is reciprocal-fertile with main cultivars, and has a high productivity with a regular crop and almost no physiological fruit drop. The tree has leaves with yellow mottle inherited from `Akane` (i.e., male parent of the new variety of apple tree according to this invention), and can produce a fruit suitable for dessert and with a good keeping quality. The fruit has a skin of a yellowish green ground color with bright red, and a fine, juicy and crisp flesh which has a whitish yellow color, a good texture, a moderate sweetness and moderate acidity, giving a good sweet-acid balance and an excellent dessert quality.
All places and address mentioned in this specification are in Japan, unless otherwise specified.
Our breeding program was aimed at obtaining a new variety of apple tree producing, first, a fruit having a high marketability for dessert use due to a good appearance, taste and keeping quality; second, maturing early in the season with little physiological fruit drop; and third, easy to grow and productive.
The new variety of apple tree according to this invention originated from crossing `Gala` (.female.).times.`Akane (.male.)`, and was named `Sansa` in October, 1986. Particularly, pollen of `Akane (.male.)` was sent to Dr. D. W. Mckenzie, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) of New Zealand, in May, 1969, and pollinated with `Gala (.female.)` in October, 1969. The seeds resulted from this crossing were returned to the Morioka Branch of the Fruit Tree Research Station, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, residing at Nabeyashiki, Simokuriyagawa, Morioka-shi, Iwate-ken, Japan, in April, 1970, and 386 seedlings were raised from the seeds. The `Sansa` tree was given the number `2279` and top-worked onto the M26/M prunifolia tree in 1974. The tree was selected by continual research, which was started in 1976 and concerned the quality of the fruit and the growing character. From 1981, the thus-selected tree was subjected to local adaptability tests at experimental stations in apple growing districts of Japan, e.g., in Akita-ken, Yamagata-ken and the like, as the number `Morioka-42`. As a result, this new variety of apple tree according to this invention was judged to have a better quality fruit, when compared with `Tsugaru` (i.e., main cultivar of Japan, having almost the same ripening time as this new variety of apple tree).
The pedigree of `Sansa` according to this invention is shown in FIG. 1.
`Gala`, used as a female parent in the breeding of `Sansa`, originated from a crossing of `Kidd's Orange`.times.`Golden Delicious` by J. H. Kidd in Greytown, Wairarapa, New Zealand, was selected in 1939 and introduced in 1960. The main botanical characteristics of `Gala` are as follows.
Tree: Precocious. PA0 Branches: Long and pliant. PA0 Leaves: Healthy with tendency to leaf-burn. PA0 Flowers: Blooming in mid-May in Morioka, Japan. PA0 Fruit: PA0 Tree: PA0 Leaves: Yellow mottle leaves, which are considered to be hereditary characteristic and not virus originating. PA0 Flowers: Reciprocal-fertile with main cultivars, e.g., `Red God`, `Starking Delicious` and the like. PA0 Fruit:
Vigor.--Strong. PA2 Spur.--Bearing heavily. PA2 Productivity.--Heavy and regular. PA2 Size.--Medium, 200 g. PA2 Shape.--Oval, round in transverse outline, uniform. PA2 Cavity.--Wide and deep with slender and very long stalk. PA2 Basin.--Medium width and depth. PA2 Color of skin.--Pale yellow to golden yellow, heavily striped with a red color. PA2 Skin.--Glossy, thin, not bruising readily, completely free from blemish, and no russet. PA2 Color of flesh.--Yellow. PA2 Flesh.--Fine, firm, crisp and very juicy. PA2 Taste.--Very sweet. PA2 Maturity.--Ripening at almost the same time as `Red Gold`, and two weeks earlier than `Jonathan` and `Starking Delicious`, e.g., late September to early October in Morioka, Japan. PA2 Keeping quality.--Better storage quality and longer shelf-life after removal from storage than `Cox's Orange Pippin`. PA2 Shape.--Slightly upright, semi-dwarf. PA2 Vigor.--Weak. PA2 Axillary flower bud.--Few to very few. PA2 Production.--Not highly productive, tendency toward biennial bearing. PA2 Shape.--Roundish oval. PA2 Flowering time.--Blooming with `McIntosh`, e.g., in mid-May in Morioka, Japan. PA2 Physiological fruit drop.--Some June and pre-harvest dropping. PA2 Size.--Medium, average weight 180-200 g. PA2 Shape.--Round oblate to oblate. PA2 Cavity.--Wide and medium to deep in depth. PA2 Basin.--Medium in width and medium to slightly deep in depth. PA2 Color of skin.--Attractive solid bright red similar to that of `Jonathan`. PA2 Skin.--Thick, tough, smooth, with abundant, small and clear lenticels and slight to moderate amount of russet, and covered with slight scarfskin. PA2 Color of flesh.--White. PA2 Flesh.--Firm, a little coarse, juicy, and crisp. PA2 Taste.--Sub-sweet (about 10 in refractometer index), sub-acid, most resembling `Jonathan` in flavor, and having an excellent quality for dessert and canning. PA2 Maturity.--Maturing in early-to-mid September in Morioka, Japan. PA2 Keeping quality.--Can be kept for 3 to 4 weeks.
Resistance to pests and diseases: Susceptible to apple mosaic, but resistant to Alternalia blotch (Alternaria mali Roberts)
Physiological disorder: No problems with various disorders, e.g., Bitter pit, Cork spot, Jonathan spot and the like.
`Akane`, used as a male parent in the breeding of `Sansa`, originated from a crossing of `Jonathan`.times.`Worcester Pearmain` on May 17, 1939 at the Tohoku Branch of the Horticultural Research Station, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, residing at Fujisaki-machi, Aomori-ken, Japan, was selected from among the seedlings, and thereafter, was subjected to local adaptability tests at many experimental stations in apple growing districts of Japan, as `Nu-50`. As a result, the tree was judged to be promising, and was named `Akane` in October, 1970. The main botanical characteristics of `Akane` are as follows.
Resistance to pests and diseases . . . Fairly resistant to Alternaria blotch and Apple fruit spot (Mycosphaerella pomi (Pass.) Lindau).
We asexually reproduced this new and distinct variety of apple tree `Sansa`, by ordinary grafting or budding at the Morioka Branch of the Fruit Tree Research Station, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, residing at Morioka-shi, Iwate-ken, Japan, and confirmed the homogeneity and stability of `Sansa` according to this invention.
An application for this new variety of apple tree `Sansa` under the Seeds and Seedlings Law of Japan was filed on Sept. 2, 1986.